2008 | Dublin | Level 1
Dara Hogan
Fledglings Childcare
With 40 years experience in the commercial sector, Dara Hogan joined An Cosán, an integrated community centre in Tallaght West, as Project Leader to help provide learning and leadership programmes to the local community. Seeing a need for follow-on opportunities for the programme participants, he set up Fledglings Childcare to provide affordable, quality childcare.
Research shows that children who receive early years education have better outcomes in terms of educational achievement and personal development. As a branded social franchise, Fledglings Childcare will work to convert FETAC-qualified childcare educators into social entrepreneurs by providing support, mentoring and facilities to them to set up new, affordable childcare facilities in their local communities.
With the first two sites opening in 2008, Dara plans to open 10 sites by 2010 and to extend the Fledglings Childcare social franchise to other disadvantaged communities. This promises significant benefits to the community with new jobs and additional childcare places as well as improvements in the quality of early years education.
“Our founders’ guiding principle is that education is the solution to poverty and disadvantage. I want to follow that principle by taking the training we provide to our childcare educators out into the local community of Tallaght West.”
www.ancosan.com
